The world's largest cruise ship takes final steps before welcoming guests

Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, is being taken to the Caribbean for final safety checks before taking on passengers on January 27.

Icon of the Seas, a 365-meter cruise ship of Royal Caribbean, arrived in Ponce, Puerto Rico at the beginning of the year. The trip was for a final safety check before departing on January 27 from Miami, USA, to take tourists around the Caribbean Sea such as St. Maarten, Mexico, St. Thomas, Bahamas for 7 days.

Icon of the Seas docked at Ponte earlier this year for a mandatory safety inspection. Photo: AP

During the safety inspection, the ship's equipment and crew will undergo rigorous testing. Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley said the 20-deck ship will have a maximum capacity of 5,610 guests and 2,350 crew. The ship will arrive in Miami, USA, on January 9. "Preparations are going well," Bayley said. Argentine soccer star Messi will attend the ship's naming ceremony later this month.

Icon of the Seas was delivered to Royal Caribbean at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, on November 27, 2023. The ship took 900 days to complete.

Guests on board enjoy modern amenities such as the world's largest water park at sea, eight neighborhoods with public spaces, shopping, walking and 40 bars.

The Hideaway area has the world's first infinity pool suspended over the sea. Chill Island has the most pools, four out of seven, and an adults-only area. Thrill Island offers a 47-meter zipline and a mini golf course.

Icon of the Seas has been attracting attention since details of the ship were announced in October 2022. There has been a lot of negative reaction to the cruise ship, with some people calling some parts of its design offensive. "The images of Royal Caribbean ships often provoke strong reactions," said travel expert Stewart Chiron.

Entertainment area on the ship. Photo: AP

However, experts say the negative reactions have largely come from people who have never been on a cruise. “The positive feedback far outweighs the negative,” Chiron added. A representative for the cruise line said that after negative reactions in July 2023 about the design, bookings for the ship that week were “the highest in history.”

Since its completion, Icon of the Seas has taken the title of world's largest cruise ship from Wonder of the Seas, another Royal Caribbean ship, which is 1,180 feet long and has 18 decks.

Anh Minh (According to CNN )

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